Introduction:
Tom McMahan is the Business Development Manager with Delaware Elevator, headquartered in Salisbury, MD. Tom started his career at Miami Elevator right after graduating from Florida State University in 1990, and after two years, Tom left the industry for a time to experience international business. After returning to the elevator industry, Tom was able to apply his international experience, opening Lerch Bates' first office in Latin America in 2017. Tom values his friendships, connections and all he has learned in the elevator industry; he believes your name and reputation are like gold that should not be gambled with
Podcast Show Notes with Timestamps:
0:00:00 Introduction and background on Tom McMahan's career
0:01:42 Tom welcomes and thanks Matt for having him on the podcast
0:02:06 Matt asks how Tom first got started in the elevator industry
0:02:28 Tom shares that he got a job with Miami Elevator right after college at Florida State University
0:02:54 Tom confirms he had no prior experience or thoughts of working in elevators
0:03:00 Tom's degree was in multinational marketing from Florida State University
0:03:59 Tom shares his first job was putting deflector shoes on a 20 story building
0:04:24 Tom spent his first 6 months in the field and then 6 months with a mentor
0:04:41 Tom shares he really enjoyed working for Miami Elevator
0:05:00 Tom left the industry for a few years to gain international experience
0:05:31 Tom returned to the industry working for TK Elevator
0:05:49 Tom was able to use his international experience opening an office for TK Elevator in Latin America
0:06:03 Tom shares what led him back to the US from Latin America
0:06:50 Tom discusses plugging back into the industry through connections from Miami Elevator
0:07:11 Tom wanted to live closer to family in Florida which also brought him back to the US
0:07:52 Tom discusses his role opening the first Latin America office for TK Elevator
0:08:00 Tom's office was in Fort Lauderdale, similar to his prior role at Miami Elevator
0:09:02 Tom's role expanded to a regional position managing 13 countries for TK Elevator
0:10:00 Tom discusses some differences he noticed between the elevator industries in the US vs Latin America
0:10:21 Opportunities for mechanics seemed more limited in Latin America compared to the US
0:10:34 Unions provided more support and training in the US compared to Latin America
0:11:47 Tom then moved to help open the first Latin America office for Lerch Bates
0:12:43 It was challenging to sell owners in Latin America on paying a premium for consulting
0:13:11 Preventative maintenance mindset was less common than reactive repairs in Latin America
0:14:42 Hard work and integrity can provide more opportunities in the US elevator industry
0:15:00 Networking is important but also value lifelong friendships in the industry
0:15:51 Never burn bridges and stay connected with mentors and colleagues
0:16:06 Tom was with Lerch Bates for around 2-2.5 years
0:16:31 The pandemic hit Latin America extremely hard, shutting everything down
0:17:02 Tom shares strict lockdown protocols in Chile like permits for grocery shopping
0:20:00 Tom discusses settling back in the US after living internationally
0:20:15 Tom enjoys the location of Delaware Elevator in Salisbury, Maryland
0:20:51 Tom shares he walks daily and watches the sunrise from his office
0:21:19 Tom's biggest lessons include never burning bridges and networking
0:21:58 Tom advises becoming a subject matter expert in your field over time
0:27:42 Tom's advice to his younger self is to stick with something and hold the course
0:29:14 Confidence comes with knowledge and experience over time
0:30:00 Tom shares advice for his daughter starting college.
